AAP In LokSabha

Myth: The agitation opposes aptitude test, which is being used all over the world.

Truth: The movement has opposed CSAT but not the idea of an aptitude test. The older pattern of examination too had some questions that tested linguistic and quantitative skills (included in General Studies then). This was never objected to. The objection now is that CSAT is not the right kind of aptitude test. Specifically, the objection is that: 1) CSAT has more weightage and higher cut-off than is appropriate; 2) Items on quantitative skills have disproportionate weight as compared to analytical and decision making skills; 3) Section on language comprehension skills is systematically biased against non-English students. In other words, the objection is that the current CSAT is neither language-neutral nor discipline neutral. That is why they have demanded scrapping of CSAT. The students have proposed more than one model of how an aptitude test appropriate for Civil Service may be designed. Read More

So what is it that the students are really demanding? In two words, Fair Representation. Fair representation comes in two forms.

Ability for non English speaking students to have a fair chance in the exam (currently the screening & scoring mechanism skewed in favour of those who speak English)

The exam to be fair to students from Humanities background as well (currently skewed in favour of Science & Math students)

For the qualifying comprehension – the quality of translation puts the folks taking the test at a disadvantage as the meaning gets distorted in translation and therefore students get their answers wrong

For the language understanding paper – the level of English tests and the level of hindi tests when chosen as a second language are not the same. So students taking English as first language and hindi as second have an advantage over students taking regional language as primary and English as second. In the former case, students can score higher as the level of hindi is quite basic. In the latter case the level of English is high and students fall behind the former set.

Aam Aadmi Party believes that the students are taking up a just cause.Read More

The Aam Aadmi Party demands that the BJP’s central government must not sit on its ego and admit that its proposal to the students protesting against the UPSC discrimination in the Civil Services preliminary examination does not solve any purpose.

With the time running out and students career at stake, the Aam Aadmi Party appeals to the central government to announce some emergency measures for immediate relief to the students, keeping the current situation in mind.

The central government must ask the Union Public Service Commission to postpone the Civil Services preliminary examination scheduled to begin from August 24 by atleast a fortnight, to begin with.

Please find enclosed the three-page response of the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal to the letter of the union law minister Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, seeking the party's views on setting the Judicial Appointments Commission.

The AAP has highlighted :

India needs a full time broadbased Constitutional body for appointment of judges to High Courts and Supreme Court in a completely transparent manner.

The Judicial Appointments Commission of the UK provides a model to be followed.

The Judicial Commission bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha by the UPA government last year is a bad example to follow.

The bill drafted by the Committee on Judicial Accountability (a voluntary body of senior Lawyers and retired judges) for setting-up a full time and independent Judicial Appointments commission is the way forward.

In the parliamentary form of democracy, voters are often confused between voting for a party or voting for an individual candidate. Some recent examples may help answering the question for the futureRead More

Is it to storm into the well of the house and disrupt proceedings of the house? BJP as the opposition in the UPA 2 regime certainly made it their ONLY role. Congress & others continue to return the favour to the BJP govt., by attempting to do the same.Read More

Atleast 3,000 Indians are still stranded in armed conflict hit Iraq and there is still no word on the plight of 39 workers abducted by the ISIS, who have now spent more than five weeks in custody. These families of stranded Indians (mainly from Punjab), are naturally worried for their safety and at least 40 such families have started a dharna at Jantar Mantar in the capital, demanding effective from the central government for their release. Read More

Given below is the speech of the AAP parliamentary group leader Dr Dharam Vira Gandhi in the House on the issue :

“I would like to highlight two or three points regarding this Bill. The BJP and the NDA all along ten years of UPA rule had been opposing the Ordinance route of bringing out various amendments to the laws. But, the first thing that the BJP did, within three days of its coming to power, was to bring an Ordinance, an unconstitutional route, to appoint a person for the post of the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. We believe that it is their prerogative and we do not object it. What we object is the route. This route is undemocratic.Read More

The AAP is of the clear view that the law cannot be changed for making an otherwise ineligible individual to take up a particular post, by first abusing the emergency powers of the government by bringing an ordinance, and then wasting the time of Parliament to suit the whims and fancies of an individual considered dear to the ruling establishment.

The AAP opposed the introduction of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2014, in the Lok Sabha on Friday, and will strongly oppose it when the bill will be taken up for consideration and passage in the House.Read More